


My Little Mermaid

by seungwanderlust



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 21:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7591444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungwanderlust/pseuds/seungwanderlust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I watched you melt into sea foam, Seungwan! Right in front of my eyes! You died!"</p>
<p>The memory returns. Irene breaks. </p>
<p>"... right in front of my eyes."</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Little Mermaid

**Author's Note:**

> Just thought to put this in here, because it's the only finished thing that I have with a decent plot. (And also for this account to at least have something to its name hahaha!) I hope you enjoy reading, for those who haven't read this before from AFF. :)

  
Everyone thought that Bae Joohyun is going crazy.

 

//

 

Joohyun takes frantic crawls in the sand, to get away as she can from what is now currently in front of her.

Her hands are shaking. Her breathing is labored. Her vision is getting blurrier. It’s gotten so bad that she can only see colour.

But even so, it's unmistakable. Irene can see her.

The fiery head of hair. The brilliant azure of eyes… The green tail. It was unmistakable.

It was _her._

 

"Seungwan."

 

_//_

 

In normal circumstances, she shouldn't be this shook by the appearance of Seungwan.

In fact, Joohyun would have usually done anything and everything to see her.

 

Her colleagues took amusement in this whipped form of the usually cold and stern biologist.

They called her whipped. They teased her to be too invested. It wouldn’t work out. Because though they may be in love - and love must be the answer to everything, as we wish to believe - they were still from different worlds.

It would be scary, no? To fall in love with someone that you couldn’t really have a future with?

But Joohyun didn’t care.

Because it was Seungwan.

And she was every reason to face those fears and doubts.

She was every reason to defy the odds.

Seungwan was every reason to try.

To try to love like this.

 

But this wasn't normal circumstances. Seungwan shouldn't even be here. It was impossible.

Because just a month ago, as the mermaid was waiting for Joohyun at the pier to meet up, she was hit.

 

By a bullet.

 

_//_

 

It was the reason Joohyun was here by the sea again.

 

"Flowers for your beloved?" smiled the aged woman as she thrust the flowers to the girl's face. As sparkling but aged eyes looked into her younger ones, Irene wondered.

 

_Why in the world did they make old ladies sell flowers?_

 

It made it a hell of a lot more difficult to refuse when the grandma looked so hopeful. Like blowing off a kid that was showing a poorly drawn, but full of hardwork picture to you. Or kicking a puppy that was simply esctatic to see you, its tail still wagging even after it's been kicked.

Refusing old ladies selling flowers would made Joohyun feel like the worst person to have ever walked this earth. 

 

"A-ah. I don't --" 

 

She watched as that smile in the old lady's face grow smaller and the light in her eyes grow dimmer at the impending refusal.

Joohyun cursed to herself.

 

_Bae Joohyun, you weak woman._

 

"-- think those are enough flowers! Hahaha! Do you think you have some more, ma'am?" 

Irene grinned at the old woman whose eyes lit up again like a glow stick.

 

"Oh my-- Thank you, dear! I have just the flowers for a pretty young woman like you!"

The little granny scoots back to her flower cart and pulls out the lage bouquet. 

 

Joohyun lets out a breath of defeat. Her mouth forms a melancholic smile. 

 

_Looks like I'll be visiting today._

 

_//_

 

She grips the white irises in her right hand tighter.

"I watched you melt into sea foam, Seungwan! Right in front of my eyes!"

 

She brandishes the irises like a sword at the fiery-haired mermaid floating idly in front of her, as if to protect herself from the mermaid.

(But to protect _what_ exactly?)

 

"You  _died_!"

Her grip is shaky. The flowers are trembling. The tears forming at her eyes fall.

It should taste salty, but then why is it bitter?

 

"... right in front of my eyes."

 

The girl's eyes looked wide in confusion. Like she was thinking 'just what the hell are you talking about?'

She moves closer. 

 

Joohyun's eyes widen in terror.

"STOP! Don't come any closer! You're probably an illusion!"

Her jaw drops as she hears herself say the words.

"That's it! It's the only logical explanation!" 

Frantic and crazed Joohyun turns to the mermaid and points an accusing finger.

"It's the only reason why you would be here! An illusion! A mirage! A trick on my eyes!"

 

Seungwan looks are her with those signature furrowed brows. She looked just like the ever-worried Seungwan that Joohyun had known. 

_Had._

 

"But... I'm here? I'm right in front of you."

 

She reaches up with saltwater-soaked hands and grabs the collar of Joohyun's shirt.

She pulls her closer, until Joohyun can see the flecks of gray in the ocean blue of Seungwan's eyes.

She can feel the girl's breath on her lips. It was hot despite the coldness of her skin. 

 

Joohyun was having a hard time breathing. She speaks weakly in a whisper to the mermaid's ear. 

 

"I'm dreaming; you're not supposed to be here."

 

The redhead pulls back and looks at her with that smile that time and time again, never failed to put Joohyun's heart at ease. 

"Ah, my love." Seungwan reaches to Joohyun's face and tucks away a lock of hair that was stuck to the girl's cheek.

 

"But I am."

 

Seungwan crashes their lips in a salty kiss. It burns and it chills the reality onto Joohyun's tongue.

The sensation ignited back that part of Joohyun that she thought had melted away with Seungwan back on that day.

There was still that morsel of doubt in the young scientist's mind but she was willing to put it aside for now.

Because Seungwan is here.

She's back. She's here.

It was too good to be true.

But she lets herself believe in it for the time being,

 

Seungwan is back. Seungwan is here. With Joohyun. 

 

They pull apart and Seungwan speaks again.

 

"Did you at least feel that? I'm alive, Joohyun. And I'm here."

 

Joohyun is overwhelmed. Anger. Happiness. Relief. Excitement. Love. 

She spares a moment to settle her thoughts and looks into her love's eyes once again.

 

"You shouldn't even exist, Seungwan. You're a mermaid. You aren't supposed to be real."

 

The older girl moves closer and cups the mermaid's cheeks in her hands. Her thumbs lightly run themselves on the smooth skin of the girl's face. 

As if for extra confirmation that Seungwan was actually here. Because it just couldn't be true. 

 

"As I said, I watched you die. I cried and I cried. I didn't leave for two days until Seulgi literally carried me back to my house."

 

The older girl brushes the wet bangs sticking to the girl's forehead aside and leaves a light kiss there.

Joohyun feels breath hitch at the light touch of her lips. She smiles. Seungwan reacted.

_Just like she always does. Just like Joohyun’s always loved._

 

"Yet here you are, right in front of my eyes."

 

Joohyun fully steps into the water and grabs onto the red-haired mermaid tight. As if she was hanging on for dear life. 

"Please don't leave me again. I can't live without you."

 

Seungwan's arms wrap around Joohyun's form, and holds her tighter.

"Okay, Joohyun. I won't leave you."

 

//

 

Once Joohyun was calm, she decided that she needed some answers from the mermaid. The little sea binch made her worry to death. 

She looked at the girl in front of her who was lying on the sand, her tail in the water. 

"Okay, missy. Spill. How are you still alive?"

Seungwan looked left and right before beckoning Joohyun closer. 

Joohyun raises an elegant eyebrow at this, but comes closer nonetheless. Her sleeves are getting wet by the seawater.

As Seungwan's lips are but a centimeter away from the shell of Joohyun's ear (she can practically  _feel them_  brushing against her skin), Joohyun feels her smile, stifle a little laugh, and then whisper. Joohyun's breath may or may not have gotten caught in the anticipation. 

 

A breath.

 

She hears Seungwan let out a low chuckle.

"Catch me and find out."

 

The next thing Joohyun knows, she's drenched with seawater. 

Joohyun was absolutely _livid._

“YOU IDIOTIC FISH-HUMAN HYBRID I JUST IRONED THIS BLOUSE!”

 

Seungwan was amused at the older girl’s unwavering concern for her clothing. She chuckles as she hears a muffled ‘I’m going to be using so much detergent to get the smell off.'

The said ‘hybrid’ puffed out her white cheeks, closed her eyes with a pout, and childishly crossed her toned arms in indignation.

“They’ve been wet since earlier, Joohyun! I just finished the job.”

Before she opened her eyes, and they sparkled mischievous. The mermaid promptly looked over Joohyun and grinned – devilishly.

“Though it looks like I didn’t finish it well enough.”

 

The older girl’s eyes widened. Flashes of memories came flooding back. 

This seemed familiar.

 

“No, no, no, no, Seungwan! Don’t!”

Seungwan was still persistent.

"What? I'm not trying anything."

The fluffy-cheeked girl was still grinning like mad.

(Joohyun kind of thought she looked like the cute idiot she always did when she was excited but that's not important right now.)

She was snapped out of that thought when Seungwan grabbed her bu the arms and proceeded to try pulilng her into the water.

 

"Joohyunnie! Come oooon~ Take a dip with me." Seungwan tries to use her horrid aegyo.

 

Aggerssively flailing her arms around in an attempt to get away from the mermaid's surprisingly buff arms (which shouldn't even be a thing considering she lives  _underwater),_ Irene gives her adamant protests. 

"Seungwan! Get your hand off me this instant!" But her yells sound like a playful whine and Seungwan persists. 

"Hahaha! Nice try unnie." Her eyes turn sly. She whispers. "You're going to get wet anyway, so why protest?" 

 

Irene swears she hears the thumping of the horse's hooves in the sand off in the distance. (Or was that her heart going off like she ran a marathon? She couldn't tell.)

But she couldn't just ignore everything because it was just like the time that Seungwan...

It was just like that time---

 

Joohyun's eyes widened.

 

_The gun!_

 

"Seungwan get down!" Joohyun shouts as she jumps on the mermaid.

The red-haired mermaid's hands flail forward in an attempt to catch the flying cabbage heading her direction.

 

_SPLASH!_

 

The next thing Joohyun knows, she's underwater. But she can see? 

What? Shouldn't the salty water be stinging her eyes? 

 

(She vageuly recalls requesting to examine Seungwan's eyes one time because the mermaid could see perfectly fine underwater without any irritation.

Joohyun, being the curious little thing that she was, wanted to know why.

Much to the chargin of the mermaid.)

 

She sees Seungwan smile at her. It looked beautiful as always, but... there was something else there. 

To Joohyun, it looked like reassurance. But was it true?

"My curious researcher, you're probably wondering why you can see underwater, aren't you?"

Joohyun aggressively nods, her mouth in a pout and her brows furrowed. 

Seungwan laughs at her reaction. She covers her mouth with both of her hands as she laughts with her mouth wide open. 

There's her eyesmile again. Just like her mother.

 

"If you'd be willing enough to try, you can breathe underwater now too."

The smile says truth, but the scientist in Joohyun still kept the doubt in her heart. 

_I'm going to die. It's underwater. There's no way there would be something that would give me gills or whatever weird stuff Seungwan uses to breathe._

She still held her breath.

Seungwan's eyes looked disappointed 

"Joohyun, I need to tell you something."

 

The scientist was suddenly very attentive, snapping her head to Seungwan's direction.

She raises her eyebrows in question. 'What is it?'

Seungwan takes a deep breath as she steels herself to say what needs to be said.

"I can't leave this place."

Joohyun is left staring.

 

"When the bullet hit me, it turned me into sea foam right? Well, I disintegrated right then and there, you were right."

She looks into Joohyun's eyes then. The scientist looks skeptical.

_Is this real?_

"But then the foam I disintegrated in turned me back!"

The younger girl's eyes lit up in hope.

"Don't you see? This is a chance for us to be together again!"

She takes Joohyun's hands into her slightly larger ones.

Seungwan looks at their joined hands first.

"I know that being together has caused us some great pain in the past--"

Joohyun simply nods. Seungwan looks up.

"But please, would you gamble again?"

Her blue depths look directly into Joohyun's. They are unsure.

"Just like the first time. Will you take this chance and love me - again?"

 

Joohyun looks into Seungwan's eyes.

_(Will you protect my heart, if I'm going to try again?)_

 

She sees pieces of her in those eyes. 

Not exactly pieces, but the look in the younger girl's eyes is exactly the same.

( _Will we end up the same as we did last time?)_

From her childhood. (The blue and purple hairclips.)

To her teens. (The laminated picture of Joohyun.)

Lastly, her adulthood. (The gold rings.)

( _Or, by some stroke of luck, will things turn out different?)_

 

It was the look on Seungwan's face when she was putting  her complete trust into the person.

( _Will we make it?)_

She believed wholeheartedly that Joohyun wouldn't let her down.

(But sad to say that even if Joohyun refused, Seungwan would be completely okay with it.)

 

 

The scientist makes her decision. 

She speaks. She breathes.

 

"Okay."

 

( _Son Seungwan, please protect my heart.)_

 

 

As Joohyun sees everything fade to black (as the water enters her lungs), the last image she sees in the image of Seungwan's thankful smile.

She smiles.

But wait---

 

Did Seungwan just fade as well?

 

_//_

 

The following day, a body was found floating near the coast wearing a labcoat with a purple blouse inside.

There was a nametag.

 

_Bae Joohyun._

 

_//_

 

It turns out, the people were right.

Bae Joohyun did go crazy after all.

 


End file.
